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Blockchain bridges enable communication between independent blockchain networks, allowing assets, data, and transactions to be transferred from one chain to another. As decentralized finance (DeFi) continues rapid growth, blockchain bridges provide integral connectivity to expand the decentralized ecosystem. This article provides a comprehensive introduction to decentralized blockchain bridges, explaining the router protocols connecting assets, NFTs, and transaction finality across segregated networks. Key bridge architectures like hashed timelock contracts, relay and federation models, wormhole messaging, and sidechains are detailed alongside examples of prominent bridge protocols like Polygon, Avalanche, Cosmos, Polkadot, and Harmony. Analysis on bridge security considerations, upgradeability principles, and trust assumptions vs. trust minimization is also provided. Overall, this piece serves as an educational foundation for understanding the bridging infrastructure powering blockchain interoperability and the decentralized future.
Blockchain technology has introduced groundbreaking innovation into software architecture and distributed systems in recent years. Through decentralized networks, transparent ledgers, cryptography-backed security, and programmable smart contract logic, blockchain platforms have created entirely new paradigms for asset ownership, decentralized finance (DeFi), non-fungible tokens (NFTs), decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), Web3 infrastructure, and more.
However, a key limitation across early-stage blockchain protocols was the inability for independent networks to interoperate. For example, assets issued and transacted on Ethereum were restricted to the domain of Ethereum only. A user could not easily transfer ETH or ERC-20 tokens to alternative “Layer 1” smart contract blockchains like Solana, Avalanche, or Polkadot without relying on centralized exchange custodians. This severely restricted the overall connectivity and composability of the decentralized ecosystem during its formative years.
The solution to cross-chain interoperability was the advent of blockchain bridges…
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